Observations from the 2026 WVU Gold-Blue Spring Festival

April 19, 2026

By: Clark Johnson | WV Sports Chat

Morgantown, WV – Yesterday, fans had their first look at the 2026 WVU Football team with the Gold-Blue Spring Festival. I was lucky enough to catch the action at Milan Puskar Stadium. While gauging exactly where the team is given the circumstances of the scrimmage was difficult, I did leave Morgantown with my own observations, concerns, and hopes.

Today, I am going to share with you the FIVE areas of the ‘26 Mountaineers that stood out the most to me during the small dose of action. These are the storylines that fans should monitor the closest going into WVU’s September 5th contest against Coastal Carolina.

Despite limitations due to injury, Scotty Fox looked like the best quarterback. – I’ll begin with the question everybody has – how did the quarterbacks look? While there wasn’t much to chew on, I do believe that Scotty Fox looked like the best quarterback on the field yesterday. The Ohio native was limited due to a hamstring injury, but was efficient, completing 80% of his passes with one touchdown pass. Michael Hawkins and Max Brown also received extensive playing time, but lacked the efficiency that Fox displayed on Saturday. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I’d be shocked if anyone but Fox took the first snaps of the season.
The offensive line looks bigger. – With the nature of a spring game, the offensive line really couldn’t show much to excite fans. However, WVU’s offensive line looks much LARGER than last year. Though size and talent are two separate things entirely, having Power Four sized personnel is enough to have me excited for the potential of the position group.
The receivers flashed potential. – Rich Rodriguez has been adamant throughout spring that the receiver room has improved going into 2026. I would agree with this sentiment. TaRon Francis and John Neider were both standouts during the scrimmage, as well as D.J. Epps and Keon Hutchins. While the production of this group is yet to be determined, WVU will have much deeper depth at receiver going this year.
Jyron Hughley stood out. – True freshman quarterback Jyron Hughley had an outstanding performance on Saturday, primarily on the ground. The Florida native scorched the defense with a 60-yard touchdown run on his very first carry of the afternoon. With development, Hughley could become the perfect quarterback for Rodriguez’s offense.
The team looks completely different. – Expected given the massive roster turnover, the 2026 Mountaineers look completely different. Size and talent now litter the roster. Though the team is far from the product we will see in September, the new additions via the portal and recruiting give me hope for a huge leap forward in year two of Rodriguez. This team simply looks better.